


19. Dog Sitting

by alley_oops, jennandanica



Series: Citadel: Luke Evans and Alex Skarsgard [19]
Category: Actor RPF, Citadel (Journalfen RPG), True Blood RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-02
Updated: 2008-11-02
Packaged: 2018-01-01 13:39:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1044603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alley_oops/pseuds/alley_oops, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandanica/pseuds/jennandanica





	19. Dog Sitting

_**Dog-sitting: Alex Skarsgard & Luke Evans work out a few more details**_  
[backdated to mid-November]

 

"He's an English mastiff," Alex says, shutting the door of his Range Rover and firing up the engine. "Dumber than a box of rocks, and really drooly." He laughs and gives Luke a grin, then hands him a thick book of CDs. "Since it's your first time in my car, you get to pick the music. Treasure this moment."

"What's his name again?" Luke asks, leafing through the CDs, his eyes wide with appreciation. "Definitely not this," he says, pointing out the original cast recording of _Taboo_. "The guy who plays Billy, I've heard he's just awful." He grins at Alex.

"It's -- where did you find that?" Alex says, glancing aside to see which one Luke means. He turns back to the road with his jaw tight, trying like hell to hold back a smile. "Yeah, I... I must've picked that up somewhere," he murmurs, as if he's got _Evita_ hiding in there, too. Yeah, right. "And anyway, I heard he was stunning. A major find." He can't help it; he grins widely, proud as hell of his lover.

Luke grins and keeps looking. "What are these guys like?" he asks, intrigued by the name. _Gogol Bordello_.

"They're really cool. They're, like, gypsy punk," Alex answers, pulling out onto the main road. "Did you ever see that film with Elijah Wood? Um, _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_ , I think? Their singer has a role in that, and they're on the soundtrack. Good stuff."

"Okay, then let's try that," Luke says, slipping it into the CD player. He settles back into his seat, smiling over at Alex. "And I still don't think you told me the dog's name."

"His name is Carlo. He's named after a Sherlock Holmes story, I think," Alex answers, reaching to queue up 'Start Wearing Purple' once the CD loads. "He's freakin' gigantic, but maybe you're used to that already. Did you grow up surrounding by sheep-herding dogs?"

"Yeah, but they're not necessarily huge. Corgis, sheepdogs," Luke says, listening to the music in the background. "Are these guys American?"

"Nah. There are something like seven regular members of the band, from six different countries or so. I saw them in Italy a few years ago, they were fucking amazing." Slowing down, Alex makes a turn into a subdivision of large homes. There's not as much space between the houses as there is in his own neighborhood, but still enough room for a dog to run around. Cutting the engine, he does a quick check of the backseat to make sure there's nothing important hiding out there. "You want to come in with me?"

"Sure." Luke gets out and meets Alex on the walk, following him to the front door, his eyes on his lover's ass.

"Okay. Be prepared, though," Alex says, sorting through his keys for the right one. A furious din of deep booming barks starts up when they're only halfway down the walk, and he rolls his eyes.

He unlocks the front door and in an instant he's nearly tumbled to the ground by a blur of tawny fur. "Shut up," he orders, shoving Carlo - all two hundred pounds of him - back, while simultaneously trying to catch hold of his collar so he doesn't run away. "Shut up! Yes, you know me, you idiot," Alex scolds, but affection is clear in his voice. He manages to push Carlo back into the house, then checks over his shoulder for Luke. "He's harmless, really. I swear. He just got the brawn instead of the brains."

Luke's eyes are about as wide as they get and he's just staring at the, well, what's supposed to be a dog. "Are you sure that's not a horse, or at least a small pony?" he asks, not really sure if he should come in after all.

"He might be half bear," Alex answers, snatching a red leather leash off its hook by the door. "Sit. Sit!" he orders, but Carlo completely ignores him, and he ends up half-straddling the dog before he can get the leash attached to his collar. "Stupid dog. Doesn't do tricks. Eats sixty pounds of food a month. Leaves hair everywhere..." he hands the leash to Luke and heads into the kitchen to grab some plastic bags.

"Um." Luke holds the leash but he's pretty sure if Carlo wants to do something he's going to do it. Regardless of whether Luke's attached to the other end. "Good boy," he says to Carlo who proceeds to drool on his shoes. "Oh god..." he starts laughing. "You are _not_ a pretty dog."

"Hear that? Stupidity is not attractive, not in any species," Alex tells Carlo, coming back into the foyer. The look on Luke's face stops him in his tracks, and he shakes his head to clear it before stepping closer. "You are so fucking gorgeous when you smile," he murmurs, leaning in for a kiss.

Luke blushes and smiles into the kiss. "Thank you," he says, handing Alex back the leash, certain his lover could control the dog much better than he could if it decides to take off. "Do we need anything else?"

"Nah. I got his toy, too," Alex says brandishing a small squeaky elephant, which Carlo promptly tries to tug out of his hand. "Not _now_ , you idiot," he scolds, and fights with the dog for a couple seconds before giving up and simply surrendering the toy. "Can you lock up?" he asks Luke, nodding towards his keys, which are still stuck in the door, before letting Carlo escape onto the sidewalk and leading him to the car.

"Sure." Luke can do that way more easily than he can wrestle the 200-lb bear. He locks up and walks back to the car, handing over Alex's keys and watching with disbelief as Carlo heaves himself into the back. "There's not a playground or anything at this dog park, is there?"

"Why?" Alex asks the question but then snorts a laugh, thinking it through. "Are you suggesting that he's a danger to small children?" He reaches into the car and scratches the dog behind his ears, sending him into obvious throes of delight. "Are you a danger to small children? Are you?" Alex coos. "No. Only the obnoxious ones."

"The ones not running screaming from him already?" Luke says, laughing and shaking his head as he watches Alex with Carlo.

Alex grins and climbs back into the driver's seat. "Have you thought about the assignment I gave you?" he asks, reaching back to shove Carlo's head out of the way so he can see well enough to back out of the driveway. "For while you're in New York?"

Luke nods, his cheeks instantly heating, a fact which only embarrasses him even more. "Yes, sir."

That blush -- _fuck_. Alex grins and pulls back out onto the street. "Are you looking forward to it?"

Luke nods. "Yes, sir. I'm just hoping I don't give myself away," he says softly.

Waiting at a stoplight, Alex looks over and watches how the sunlight plays over Luke's profile. "Maybe I should have had you practice," he says, only half-teasing. "To get you more comfortable with wearing it."

"That might've helped," Luke says. "Most of my thinking's been centred on what I can wear and how I can keep myself from squirming. They're going to think I have ants in my pants," he adds with a smile. "Just like my mum used to."

Alex grins. "I don't think you'll be telling your mum the truth about this one, though," he says. "And just think, it'll keep you awake and entertained when the interviewers are boring you to death asking the same question for the fiftieth time."

"Who said I wasn't awake and entertained before?" Luke protests, but they both know he loves the idea, that he'd be disappointed if Alex hadn't come up with something like this for him to do.

"And you'll be on orgasm restriction that day," Alex decides, loving every second of this. So thrilled by the novelty of planning with a lover, someone who's actually going to come back to him in a few weeks. "No coming all day, until that night when you call me. And _maybe_ then, if you make it good."

Luke whimpers. Actually whimpers. And then blushes even harder. God. "Please, sir," he says quietly. "I don't know if I'll be able to hold on after the whole day. I think I can make it if I know you'll give me permission, but I don't want to fuck things up."

Frowning a little, Alex pulls off onto a side street and parks. "Can I ask you something?" he murmurs, then reaches back to shove Carlo down onto the seat, the dog immediately associating their halt with playtime and poking his head into the front to lick at Alex's face. "What do you think is going to happen if you fuck up?" He's not even going to argue with Luke's choice of words, not yet.

"You'll be disappointed in me," Luke says, biting at his lower lip and staring at the knees of his jeans. "And I'll be in New York, where I can't get close to you." Still remembering how it felt to come without permission in London. How he'd wanted the floor to open and just swallow him up.

It is so fucking hard not to reach out and caress Luke's cheek right now, not to pull him in for a kiss and reassure him -- reassure them both. Alex rubs his fingers over his lips, a reminder to keep his hands to himself, out here in the sunlight in the middle of Los Angeles. "If you disappoint me," he says softly, trying to choose his words carefully, "we'll get past it. Just like I hope you'd forgive me if I disappoint you." He totally understands what Luke is saying about the distance, though; they'd both need that closure. "The thing about punishment - to me, anyway - is that it... it's just to reinforce a lesson. Or remind you of our roles, and our rules. It doesn't _last_ , do you know what I mean? It's not going to change the way I feel about you."

"Okay." Luke nods, the words going a long way to reassuring him. He'd still feel better if Alex guaranteed him he'll be allowed to come but that's part of this whole deal. He's given up those decisions, those choices, to his sir. "Thank you."

Alex studies Luke's face for a few moments longer, searching his eyes. On the verge of saying more. Then Carlo intrudes on the moment by nudging his shoulder, hard, and he rolls his eyes. "Let's get this over with," he mutters, annoyed with the dog and the city and the fucking daylight, with everything that's keeping him from kissing his boy right now. He climbs out of the car and then opens the back door to let Carlo leap out, getting a good grip on the leash.

Luke gets out and joins Alex behind the car, watching as he wrangles Carlo out of it. "Do you do this a lot?" he asks, changing the subject.

"I think this is maybe the third time," Alex answers, hitting the button to lock up and then crossing the street. There's a wide green lawn which already has several dogs running across it. The smallest of them is a terrier with a rhinestone collar, and she sets up a furious territorial barking the second Carlo comes into her vision. "I hate the yappy dogs," Alex breathes, tugging Carlo to the other end of the park. "He could eat that thing for breakfast and still be hungry."

Luke nods. "If I had a dog of my own I'd like something smaller than Carlo but I can't stand yappy dogs either. If it can fit in a purse, it's not a dog."

"Right." Alex grins at his lover. He pulls out the stuffed elephant and crouches down to play tug-of-war, growling back when the dog growls at him.

Luke grins as he watches them. "Can I take a picture?" he asks, already reaching for his phone.

"Yeah," Alex says with a laugh, already on his knees in the grass because _fuck_ the dog is strong. He slips the leash's loop over his wrist so that he can use both hands, but soon it's a full-out wrestling match. And Carlo is winning.

Luke laughs too and takes a whole bunch of pictures. "He's really a beast, isn't he?" He doesn't know how Carlo's owners handle him on a regular basis.

"An idiot beast," Alex agrees breathlessly, managing to snatch the elephant away and confusing Carlo for a moment before the dog leaps back on him. "And don't think you're getting out of this!"

"Who, me?" Luke says, giggling as he takes a few more pictures.

Alex grins at the sound. Managing to wrench the toy away again, he tosses it to his lover. "Go get Luke," he tells Carlo, pushing the dog off of him. "That's right, dumbass, go get Luke!"

"No! Don't get Luke!" Luke yells, tossing the elephant right at Carlo. But it's too late. The English mastiff bowls him over and he hits the ground, his phone flying out of his hand. "Shit." But he's laughing so hard he might actually piss his pants, totally grossed out as Carlo proceeds to lick his face and drool all over him.

"Now it's my turn," Alex says triumphantly, brushing himself off and grabbing Luke's phone. He takes a few photos of his lover, laughing at how merciless Carlo is. "I think it's love," he says, getting the leash looped back over his wrist once more. "He's in love with you!"

"Just as long as he confines himself to kisses," Luke says, sitting up once Alex drags Carlo off him and wiping his face with the back of his jacket sleeve. "Ugh." He shudders. "You beast," he informs the dog who's now shaking the crap out of his elephant. "That's _not_ how you treat people you want to like you."

"I don't know. Throwing you down and licking you... that's kind of how I treated you at our first meeting," Alex teases, offering Luke a hand up. "Do I need tips on my technique?"

"Nope." Luke lets Alex help to his feet. "But you didn't drool. _Huge_ difference," he says with a smile.

"I'll remember that," Alex murmurs, only reminding himself just in time not to slip his arm around Luke's waist and pull him in close. He grins. "Come on. Let's walk this monster so we can take him home."  



End file.
